Guide to my Droid setup

Alright so! I figured I would create a note here so people could reference it in the future. Before I get into my Droid setup, I need to throw down a kind of disclaimer:

Just because you never know: I am not responsible for any physical damage or disrepair to your phone that may result from the knowledge I drop in this article.

Also, as you can imagine it would be a constant climb uphill if people asked me for tutorials on how to do each and every thing I list here or provide via screenshots. So instead of asking me how to do things I don’t explain here (since I’m hardly an expert on these matters), I’d really appreciate it if you instead check out these forums to find answers to your questions:

http://androidforums.com/register.php

http://www.droidforums.net/forum/register.php

http://androidcommunity.com/forums/index.php (a bit more advanced)

For my friends who are much more learned in Android development and nuances, please don’t hesitate to point out anything I’ve defined or described incorrectly! Everyone else, I’m a grammar/spelling Nazi so don’t let me be a hypocrite.

*Apps I purchased or downloaded are in Italics. I’ve listed them at the end w/ description and barcodes.

1. Roms and Rooting

2. Booting up and Home screens

3. My phone is fast

4. Wrappin it up

5. Applications

Roms and Rooting

I recently (as in last night) updated my Motorola Droid to a build of the new Android 2.2 (codename Froyo). I did this via gaining root access, purchasing/installing Rom Manager, and by reading the above forums for detailed instructions on how to do so. The custom rom I am currently running is the Froyo Kangerade V1.0 (Key Lime Pie theme) + P3Droid 1.1 kernel. A rom is a stock or custom build image of the Android operating system. For people who bought the Motorola Droid early on, you might have received an over-the-air (OTA) update from Android 2.0 (codename Éclair) to Android 2.1 (also Éclair). Google chose to codename each new build of Android based on desserts :p And what is root? Root is the term to describe the “administrator” status, meaning you have full control over what happens on your phone. Careful though, ‘cause if you do it wrong you’ll brick your phone and you’ll be stuck at the loading screen….forreeeevveeerrr*!

*Not necessarily

The custom rom I am currently running is the Froyo Kangerade V1.0 (Key Lime Pie theme) + P3Droid 1.1 kernel. Rom Manager made it incredibly easy, but this was only after I figured out how to root the Motorola Droid several months ago. There are possible dangers to the rooting process, but there are also many benefits if you succeed. Check out an informational post and guide here (you’ll need to register). Look here if you don’t have a Motorola Droid. I’d suggest devoting an entire Saturday and/or Sunday to this because it may be trial and error, and your phone is unusable during the process. The forums and Google are your best friends!

Booting up and Home screens

Droid users with the stock Android have the Droid Eye as their boot screen. With root, I made Super Mario my loading screen. Next up is my lock screen with clear unlock and mute slide buttons, a unique font, and the black notification bar. That’s all part of the custom rom and theme applied with it.

On my main home screen, the widgets from top to bottom are Power Widget, Power Control widget, System Info Widget, SMS Unread Count, Advanced Task Killer, and SetCPU. The bar of gray icons at the bottom is part of my home replacement app called LauncherPro. Home replacement apps are great because they provide you with variations on how you’d like your phone to present content. I’ve tried Home++, iHome, PandaHome, aHome, dxTop, Sweeter Home, HelixLauncher, SlideScreen, Open Gesture, and probably a couple more. Each of them offer something unique to the user so I encourage you to check any of them out if you want more functionality/efficiency, looks, or variation to your phone. I prefer LauncherPro because it offers the pros of the stock Android home screen(s), the pros of the iPhone OS (docked applications no matter what home screen you’re on), and it makes the phone feel much snappier.

The left home screen consists of the Pandora and stock Music widgets, my beautiful girlfriend, and shortcuts to directly message and call her. These shortcuts are extremely convenient if you’ve got someone(s) you text/call frequently and don’t wanna scroll through contacts to find. To add them, long press on the screen like you would to add widgets, folders or change the wallpaper. Notice how my dock at the bottom sticks! Oh so convenient…

The right home screen (from top to bottom) is the stock News and Weather, Android Guys 2, Forecast info, and the widget for my life saving finance website and app: Mint.com.

I have just 3 home screens currently because I have all the widgets I need on them and 4 of my most used apps are available at the bottom (+4 when you scroll as seen in main vs. left screenshots) via LauncherPro. You can have up to 7 if need them.

My phone is fast

Like my friend Dan, Lag is in my top 5 most hated things in the entire world. This is why I am constantly on the lookout to find ways to make my phone faster to keep up with my increasingly taxing phone tasks. Here are my 5 ULTIMATE apps for keeping my phone super fast:

A) A task manager – I use Advanced Task Killer Pro ($4.99). Kill apps that you’re not using to free up memory for others. You can uncheck any that you’d like to consistently save from the “Kill All” option.

B) CacheMate for Root users ($1) – this clears the cache from apps to help free up much needed space

C) MinFreeManager (Free) – I don’t know quite how to explain this application, but it basically ensures that your memory isn’t being wasted on applications that don’t need it. In Aggressive mode, it reclaims memory from applications that have allotted it but don’t need it.

D) Startup Auditor – I hated when my phone would take forever to startup. This is because there are a lot of applications that default to run at startup. However, a lot of them don’t need to be so I use this app to go through and ‘Startup Disable’ just about all of them.

E) SetCPU ($2.99? and needs Root) – This app is best utilized when you’ve installed a custom rom with a kernel capable of overclocking** your phone’s CPU. If you successfully achieve root and can flash roms, either you’ll discover its uses on your own or you can ask me and I’ll be happy to show you! This is the last (and best) secret.

**Overclocking will void your warranty and theoretically shorten the lifespan of your phone. But, there are obviously speedy benefits.

Wrappin it up

More than likely, this informative post will be the little push for those of you who have been dying or curious to discover the full potential of your phone. If you’d never considered the possibility I’ll be happy if I’ve at least piqued your curiosity. Hope this has helped!

Applications

- Barcode Scanner – this can be used to download apps via scanning their barcode on a page like this! Search the Market for this one.

-
Rom Manager - http://www.clockworkmod.com/

Power Widget

System Info Widget

SMS Unread Count
Advanced Task Killer Pro
CacheMate
MinFreeManager
Startup Auditor
SetCPU

Other Apps I use

- Adobe Reader

- andLess – for playing FLAC audio files and other interesting types

- AndroZip and ASTRO – File managers to view files on your SD card

- Audio Manager – lets me set profiles to control my volume in various situations

- BetterCut – I don’t use it right now, but its great for creating very specific, custom shortcuts to applications, app settings, and system settings

- Camera ZOOM FX – way better than any Camera app on your phone

- Chrome to Phone (Froyo EXCLUSIVE) – this comes with Froyo and I LOVE it! Send pages/maps you’re viewing on Google Chrome to your phone!

- Dolphin Browser HD – takes a bit to get used to, but much better than the regular browser

- Droidbox Free – view and access your Dropbox from your phone

- eBuddy – this is a fast, easy and bug free IM app

- Foursquare – ask Google haha

- Gmote – I use this app to remotely control my computer!

- Last.fm – for all you other Last.fm lovers out there (better than Pandora IMHO)

- Lookout – An antivirus app for whenever viruses become a problem on Android phones. Might as well be prepared!

- MyBackup Pro – a MUST if you plan on messing with your phone. A bit pricey but worth every penny to backup all applications and their data.

- Ringdroid – Make your own ringtones out of songs on your phone

- Robo Defense – just a fun game

- Runstar – free, amazing way to track your runs.

- ShootMe – how I got the screenshots of my phone’s screen

- Sleepy Time – A sound machine that was worth every penny

- Smart Keyboard Pro – my favorite substitute for the stock Android keyboard. The spacing between characters is WAY better for improving your accuracy

- Swype – a very unique way of typing (or is it swyping?). You’ll need to Google this one.

- Touch Timer – just a simple timer

- Uninstaller – comprehensive way to install your applications

- Wired Tether for Root Users – how I’m able to browse the internet on my Desktop via my phone

Hey I'm still awake!

I might have told some people that for two solid weeks, my ability to write one particular paper was jack shit. But thanks to my superior procrastination and a little help from adderall, I miraculously was able to finish it for my English portfolio, which consists of a personal narrative, a definition paper, an analysis, and an argument paper. Let me tell you, arguing against intimate relationships is the the freaking biggest writing challenge I've been faced with. If you're interested in reading my ridiculous argument, just scroll down a bit and you'll find what you're looking for. =) P.S. - it's a satire, the little grey headings are page numbers/notation, and there's no way I'm against intimate relationships.

Not So Intimate 2

A Not So Intimate Angle

Over the course of the twenty-first century, the world has been growing exponentially into an individualistic state. Our rapid movement into the post-modern era is driving people to listen to iPods alone instead of radios together, a tendency that demos our abilities to nurse our individual needs on our own. Yet even while we may be idealistically moving forward into a future of personal independence, our growth is still suspended by our incessant need to find a suitable partner to share our lives with. Regardless of it's friction against natural instincts, the bias and stereotypes it creates, or the toll it takes on mental and physical levels, society still irrationally seeks this companionship as if compelled by some invisible (and fabricated) “love” force. This is why I feel that in order for the populace to truly tend to the needs and wants of individuals in our modern society, it must be recognized that today's marriage and intimate relationships are errors resultant from our past cultures and history.

Marriage began as a simple and effective form of economic exchange in primitive cultures. Fathers used their daughters as items to trade for livestock, food, and land, and it was expected that their daughters marry customers. This process was erroneous at its conception: the father's surrender of the daughter left him with more goods, but one less set of hands that was instead obligated to support her husband. The opportunity cost of this transaction is extremely high compared to what the father received because the long term benefits of having a daughter and her labor are no longer part of the father's assets. Economically speaking, this reduction in labor for the family indirectly results in a decrease in inventories.

Next we must analyze the similarities between chimpanzees and humans to further explain the flaws in intimate relationships. In 2002, the Genomic Sciences Center in Japan

Not So Intimate 3

tasked itself with mapping the similarities between us and our primate cousins. After acquiring roughly 77,000 chimpanzee DNA fragments, the scientists used nitrogenous bases as references to line each fragment up with a respective human genome sequence. This molecular technique helped determine that chimpanzees differ by less than 2 percent to human beings. With a 98.77% comparability to chimpanzees, it is not rash to suggest that our natural instincts towards intimacy are that much similar. Chimpanzees form social groups called unit groups that are structured mostly by a linear male hierarchy with one male as the alpha male. It is the nature of all of the males in the unit groups to procreate with any of the females which results in a much less structured female hierarchy and extremely diverse offspring (J. Conciatore).

Based on this evidence, human males are much the same way. Despite the suppression of these instincts based on the aberrant norms of society, it is not natural for men to be restricted to one female. This is why men often find themselves thinking about attractive women in sexual ways that are labeled by society as shallow or improper. Men instinctively fantasize about attractive women because they are the most suitable mates for reproduction. Large breasts or curvaceous hips are visual clues to males that females are fit for reproduction, which reaffirms the tendency for men to eye particular attributes of women they encounter. Simultaneously, it is a woman's instinct to echo male instincts and embellish themselves or “dress to impress.” Today, women dress in unfastened or form fitted clothes that accentuate breasts and body figures in order to draw attention to themselves and alert males that they are desirable mates. Even more remarkable is the large percentage of women who habitually dress in this way during the “periods” of time when they are most fertile (Sullivan). Unfortunately, because of the conception of marriage and emphasis on intimate relationships, all of these indicators and instincts are eventually suppressed. Married men who stare at breasts and bodies of other women are labeled as unfaithful; women who dress in a

Not So Intimate 4

revealing or sexy way are labeled as promiscuous, and humans are left internally battling themselves. But even the evolution of our complex culture cannot and should not prevent humans from carrying out what is biologically natural. There is no reason for any person to desire the long term relationships that society condones because we are impulsively driven against them.

Having ignored our own instincts, our natural evolution has invented new ways of penalizing us within the tenure of intimacy. Even something as simple as an argument between partners actually causes women to physically suffer. Research conducted by the Society for Neuroscience has determined that the mind-body link is so strong that the the degrees with which we feel specific emotions or stress can adversely affect the performance of the immune system. When arguments between partners occur, both parties may suffer, but it is the women that are undoubtedly harmed. It is important to recognize that when arguments occur, a woman's emotions may not always match her physiological response. While a man's physiological response is directly related to presence or absence of emotion, a woman will biologically respond even if she does not appear to be emotional. When men are arguing, they are aware of their physiological responses because they are directly proportionate to their emotions, so they withdraw from the situation to prevent a negative physical response. Women are statistically better at expressing and interpreting emotions verbally, so when men remove themselves, women are unable to address their partner's frustration and/or they cannot vent their own. In both of these instances, a woman's physiologically response from the consequent stress endures the duration of the argument and continues to affect her (Smith). As a result of the increased stress levels, the female brain responds by releasing molecules called cytokines that are responsible for immune responses. Normally these simple proteins are the body's defense against sickness, creating bodily responses that serve more as symptoms for diagnosis than for their original

Not So Intimate 5

purpose for fighting infection. But whether women are sick or simply arguing, cytokines enter the circulatory system and activate nerves that induce responses like fever and sluggishness, or even immune suppression. The combined havoc that cytokines wreak on the immune system leaves the female body easily susceptible to viruses and bacteria that it would otherwise be resistant to. This evidence shows that women will become ill if they decide to become intimate with another (Neuroscience).

Throughout history, the inequalities in the social status of men and women women continually labels women as a minority group. As a minority, women are underrepresented in establishments ranging from government to corporate and business leadership and even at home in many cases. Until recently, history has not been kind to movements promoting the suffrage of women who stand to improve their rights and standard of living, and society still prevents the complete acceptance of femininity and the opportunities for women to be leaders and/or independent. The issue in this case still remains to be the existence of intimate relationships because they come with expectations and stereotypes that traditionally place men at the “head of households.” Women are expected to give up their ambitions in order to care for children, prepare food, tend to the shelter, and wear the clothes that are based on the income that men provide. Whether or not a woman is employed, she will lose either way. If she is not employed, she is in danger of being unable to fend for herself and/or her children if the relationship is lost. If she does have a job she is charged with being negligent to her partner and her children. These situations are comparatively detrimental to women, ergo the predicament women often find themselves in when they are attacked by stereotypes and the consequences of choosing intimacy.

In many cases, the majority of people in society believe that intimate relationships are natural, beneficial and perhaps even crucial to a good standard of living and happiness. Most of

Not So Intimate 6

those who refute this argument have strong facts at their disposal that provide a strong basis for reevaluation. Unfortunately the persons in charge of calculating divorce rates are neither persuasive nor intelligent enough to document which couples are divorcing during what years, so it is easy for people to argue that the people divorcing in a given year are not the same as the ones who are marrying. With that statistic rendered useless, the next step for a critic would be to establish the claim that intimacy is actually beneficial to individuals and empowers them to work harder, become more successful, become better parents, and lead a happier life. They would say that the small difference between us and chimpanzees is our ability to empathize with other people and perhaps even love someone, and that the reason we strive for something so irrational is because it gives our lives a purpose. But even if the hyper critic were to counter the health ailments of arguments with "love hormones" like dopamine for its blissful effects or oxytocin for its ability to emotionally bond partners during and after sex, their contention still does not solve the impossible needs of modern society. If it did work then there would certainly be no reason to question intimacy. Perhaps then the best solution to satisfy the opposition would be the movement from the increased emphasis on sex to increased emphasis on intimacy. In reality, the mere existence of teenagers and the media's focus on them shows that raging hormones have no intentions of reversing history and changing the outlook on marriage, women who dress in sexy clothes, and men who have no intention of averting their surely well-meant stares.

A few updates

So I just found out from Dan that I definitely have the job over the summer, which is both awesome and terrible. It's awesome because I may be doing something different for the company and making more, or I'm installing system like I was going to originally. Regardless I have a job though which is really nice. The awful thing is that, again, I'm not going to see my family or friends much over the summer. But I've turned Stephan over to the dark side and convinced him that it's ok to visit me for a weekend....or a week....or two weeks. You know, it's kind of a free flowing situation. =p Naturally everyone is going to have their respective jobs but if anyone wants to come up for a weekend or something you TOTALLY should. Boston's an hour away and Providence is even closer. Ladies: I hear there's a very nice shopping mall over there....

My dad's talked a lot about bringing up Tim, Ben, 'n Mom once a month just to check up on me and say hi which is sweet. Some people are just being stubborn liars when they say they don't miss their families while they're away at college. It's gonna be tough being away for my family even longer than I expected, but those visits are going to make it much easier.

On another high note, my track is currently being considered for another record label called Intuition Recordings, and there are some pretty serious names attached to that label. From what I've heard though, Menno De Jong (owner, producer) is pretty picky, so I'm not going to get my hopes up. Just the fact that a track of mine is being signed it really nice anyway. =)

I watched the Dead Poet's Society last night for the first time. What an awesome movie! Robin Williams is always going to be in my top 20. As cliche as it is, after that movie I sat out in a field and looked up at the stars. I think the reason why it's so cliche is because so many people do it. I even talked to myself, which is something I might initially label as creepy. But really, I think everyone should do it more often. There are huge differences between talking to yourself inside your head and letting the air carry it. There's no clutter in the air like there is in my brain, so it makes it much easier to methodically think about what's going on with my life.

I decided that I'm fed up with being afraid to say things I want to. It's not necessarily things that are mean or shallow, its more like the words I want to say to a girl or the honesty I should just express when I disagree with someone. I put too much weight on the idea that everything I say is taken note of by people. I talked it out last night and realized that my life's being hampered because of those things i'm not saying. Of course I'm not just going to puke all those things into this blog because that would strip them of all their power and influence on me. And that's the wrong way to do it anyway.

My Mom is a beautiful, wonderful woman. I know that the reason why I choose my words carefully and try to keep everyone happy is because I inherited the same trait from her. My Dad is a funny and sensitive guy. I know that the reason why I'm self-conscious about the clothes I wear, how my body looks, and even how I hold myself while I'm standing in an elevator is because I inherited the same trait from my dad (with the exception that he is not nearly as self-conscious as I am, unless he was when he was younger). My first thought was to say "Ok screw it there's no way I'm gonna be able to break out of those traits because its my nature. But then I decided that was just dumb. That doesn't really need any further discussion.

The people you know are so much more important than what you know. I know absolutely nothing about how to install security systems but that doesn't matter because my friend Dan had the job and told the guy I would be a great worker. Bam. There's my awesome job. It's a good thing that my future manager is a die hard Mormon with endless kindness and trust, otherwise I probably wouldn't have the job! That's another thing. APX Alarm is a privately owned company with its plentiful share of Mormons--a fact that I'm actually pretty excited about. I love Mormons because they're so freaking sexually frustrated but they're so god damn nice that it makes me laugh. I heard from an anonymous source about an anonymous honeymoon that involved over 14 sessions of intercourse. Holy. God. They didn't get tired. They got the hang of it.

So yeah, Mormons make me laugh. =D (and smile apparently too)

Cheers!

Starting up

I decided that it was time to start up the next best thing to my own website considering I can't really afford one just yet. From now on this is the place where you'll find all of the updates on whats going on with music, what I'm thinking about, and of course what life's throwing at me.

For those of you who I didn't tell yet or who don't know at all, I'm getting back into music again. Remember the time when I made up a cd of my shitty music (which was complimented by Rooney's awesome artwork)? I have no idea WHY any of you would have those cds anymore, but if you're interested in hearing more I thought this might be the place to go to. A lot of things have changed since then, and I promise you that I'll try my hardest to prevent hearing loss this time. =)

I'm not sure who I mentioned it to, but as of a few days ago I'm getting one of my tracks signed to a label. The future home of 'Slowplay' is going to be with Ampire Digital Recordings, so that's pretty cool. My suggestion is not to check out Slowplay OR Ampire Digital Recordings unless you have an open mind towards techno (this is REALLY called Trance) haha. We're working out the contract right now which means that I'm not technically supposed to give the song to anybody. But if you're really interested in getting the song and you'd rather not pay just send me a message and it might magically appear. =)

I haven't heard from the manager of the security systems team I'll be working for, so it doesn't mean I have the job yet. You're allowed to be secretly excited if I end up not getting the job, but I'll be pretty bummed for a while. Hopefully though I will get that call eventually. I also put up a few links that people would definitely be interested in, so check 'em out. Peace!